When Lucid Data Corp. says its clients span the country, it's not kidding.

The Milford software company's 80 customers include school districts in Georgia - and one inside the Arctic Circle in Alaska.

The company's product, PDExpress, helps districts track and manage their professional-development programs for teachers and staff. With many states now requiring districts to handle this data on their own, Lucid sees a growing market.

And because many school districts spend the money to keep track of staff development, it's a business relatively unaffected by a stagnant economy, co-owner John Wills said.

This year, it hopes to double sales for the fourth straight year, Mr. Wills said. And it's working on a staff evaluation software package that it can sell with PDExpress.

"The bigger the district, that's where the problem is in trying to manage this, and that's where we fit in best," Mr. Wills said.

As for a crossover into the corporate market, that might take a while.

"This is our market," he said. "This is what we know."

- Cliff Peale